


Give and you shall receive

by The_silent_smile



Series: The not-so-happy life of Anthony Edward Stark [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Pepper Potts, Civil War Team Iron Man, F/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), The Raft Prison (Marvel), Tony Feels, Tony Stark Angst, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 17:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20474462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_silent_smile/pseuds/The_silent_smile
Summary: "Ross! Just the person I wanted to talk to today. Life just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it? What's kicking bud? Got some exciting news for me?""There's a lawsuit currently taking form. That would, if you lose it, send you straight to the raft."Tony hit the breaks, car quickly turning into a parking lot and coming to a full stop there."What was that?"-Or-Tony tries to set something right while the rest of the world seems to despise him no matter what. But, give and you shall receive, am I right?





	Give and you shall receive

**Author's Note:**

> Note that I am not a lawyer or very familiar with the way a lawsuit takes place in America so a lot of this might be wrong. Though also: This is a work of fiction and some of it is allowed to be incorrect to better fit the story. The author of 'The Boy in the striped pyjama' did it, so I feel that I, somebody who is currently under 20 and who does this for his own enjoyment, am justified to bend the truth.
> 
> Rant over, now I hope y'all enjoy this mess.

Tony Stark is a man with self-esteem as high as a skyscraper, the papers painting him in the light of an egoist and a narcissist with every chance they get, picking at the man like vultures at a carcass as lie after lie is published, the playboy image never once faltering even after the engagement was announced.

Tony Stark is an unbreakable man, always smiling even if a camera catches him in the middle of the street as he strolls around New York City. Posture always prim and proper, back straight and shoulders back, the image of self-confidence in every picture taken of him, sunglasses on and head held high, not even trying to hide his identity and being frequently swarmed by parents and kids alike who had not spotted him before.

Tony Stark is a man, made of steel, nerves stronger then the alloy suit he wraps himself in when danger approached, never once irritated when kids pull at his designer suit because they want a picture even if he is already late for a meeting. Never once showing discomfort or hurt when people yell at him, only held back by the bodyguard holding them back, screaming at the man that he is a monster disguised as a hero, that he has ripped apart their family, that his weapons killed millions, that Miss Potts is only with him because of his money. The only times he isn't caught smirking or smiling are those where people not angry with him explain what had happened to their families in Sokovia or New York or any of the other places they had went and saved people, just not all of them. Those are the only times the smile is replaced with an expression which holds just enough understanding that the person thinks he is actually sorry for them.

Tony Stark is a sociopath.  
Not really feeling the guilt that people trusted upon him because he can't do anything about what has happened already. Not tearing himself apart with guilt from the millions of lives lost because of his weapons and the thousands he couldn't save. Not once flinching when he is informed of exactly how many lives were lost in the mission they had completed.

Tony Stark is a man with self-esteem as high as a skyscraper.  
And the papers will never let him live that down.

"Miss Potts has requested your presence in the dining room, sir."  
FRIDAY her voice sounded through the lab, pulling the engineer's thoughts away from the article he had been reading, the almost poetic way it was worded somehow making the words sting worse as he read them carefully as if looking over a bomb that needed to be dismantled.  
"Thank you Fri, tell her I'll be up in a flash," he mumbled, waving at the ceiling before turning around and walking toward the glass doors, patting Dum-E on his claw as he passed by. "Be a good boy while daddy makes sure his fiance feels loved okay bud?"

The soft whirling sound was accepted as an answer and he waved at the other two bots before dashing up the stairs as fast as he could.

"Hey, honey, sorry to keep you waiting but I was-" "busy, I know."  
Pepper Potts stood leaning against the table, going over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck, feeling satisfaction rush through her as the always too tense shoulders relaxed instantly under her touch.

"I didn't forget, I promise."  
"Hmmm, that'd be the first time then."  
Tony chuckled with her, their foreheads resting together and eyes closed, his arms snaking around her waist to find more contact, more warmth.

"You hurt me miss Potts. Just because it's true doesn't mean you can just say things like that."  
"I can't call my fiance out on forgetting my birthday for the first seven years I've known him?"  
Tony chuckled again, the dark feeling that had wrapped itself around him like little tentacles while reading the article lessened slightly as they shared a content silence.

" Happy birthday miss Potts."  
"Thank you, Mr Stark."  
He grinned up at her, giving her a quick kiss before mournfully stepping out of her grasp, already missing the safe feeling that had his stomach flutter like the first time he'd realised just how deep their connection went.

"As your soon to be husband, I would like to invite you to dinner tonight at Per Se."  
"Why Mr Stark what an honour!" she smiled before continuing in a more genuine and soft voice.  
"I'd love to Tony. What time did you get us reservations?"  
"Any time you want. The restaurant has closed its doors the entire day because I wasn't sure what time you would be hungry and I thought you wouldn't like the people around us talking or staring so..."

Pepper rolled her eyes, slapping his chest playfully though being mindful to not get too close to the centre; the scar tissue still painful and the phantom pain hurting him with the slightest pressure still.

" Tony! You might have ruined people their night by not letting the restaurant open!" no real anger was in her voice, though the darkness that pressed on his lungs grew at the comment still, making him mentally recoil a bit.

"I don't mind them staring, you know that sweetheart."  
"Yeah. Yeah, I do I'm sorry... Hey FRIDAY? Can you bring me the list of people that had booked reservations for today?"  
"Right away boss, I've put the phone numbers with the list as I assume you might need them."

Tony nodded, giving Pepper a little smile and mouthing the words 'I got this' before walking down to the workshop again, changing out of the oil-stained AC/DC shirt and into one of the expensive suits that made his skin crawl with how similar he looked to Howard when putting them on.

"Fri, would it be better to call them or to drop by?"  
"If you wish for them to take you seriously I suggest personally telling them, Sir. People are often sceptic when an unknown caller announces to be Iron Man and then invites them to dinner."  
"Sassy are we?"  
"I am terribly sorry sir but I believe you were the one who programmed that into my system."  
"My own AI sassing me, well have I ever! Okay okay, all jokes aside, Fri pull up the locations of the people on the list and pick a car for me, it's still early so we should be able to see them all before the restaurant opens."  
"Done sir. The nearest one would be a ten-minute drive."

Tony nodded and walked towards the car, telling FRIDAY to drive him to it as he tapped on his watch, a screen appearing in front of him with the article he had just finished reading popping up immediately as he opened up the screen.

He still wasn't sure if it was belittling him or defending him, though his mind provided him with the needed crippling self-hate that made it so he was certain that belittling was the right answer.

He clicked on the related articles, the next essay that popped up that of a magazine known for its brutality regarding celebrities. They had started the paedophilia rumour that had spread like wildfire, a picture of him and Peter; the kid laughing at some stupid joke he'd made, his own face creasing a bit as an easy smile played on his now black and white face.  
The magazine had accused him of having a sexual interest in the unknown boy, Tony taking it down as quickly as possible, though not soon enough because soon the rumour was everywhere and parents had shied their kids away from him for months until it had finally been proven wrong.

He'd still saved the article though, it sometimes showing up when he was working, him stopping whatever he was doing to stare at the image of that little moment of happiness with that godawful accusation printed in black bold letters above it. The kid had thankfully not been bullied for it. Tony has made sure that the picture would be deleted every time someone tried to post it.

So an article of that same source should be fun.  
'Tony Stark ruining wedding day by closing up a restaurant.'  
Ah, they had caught on fast on the restaurant then.

Anthony Edward Stark: self-claimed superhero and infamous playboy ruins the wedding day of a couple by renting out the restaurant they had spend half a fortune on to get a reservation at and keeping it closed on the day the happy couple would have had their perfect wedding day. Rumours say that Stark closed the restaurant to celebrate his own engagement, though as Miss Potts has been proven to not have interest in the man there is speculation about whether Stark is simply doing so to keep up the act. Miss Potts was reportedly seen with another man last Saturday. The Iron man can only be dense to think that-  
The screen went black for a second before showing a picture of him and Pepper curled up on the couch, her head resting on his shoulder, arms wrapped around each other in content.

"FRIDAY what the hell was that for?"  
"I advise you do not look at the articles provided by that magazine boss, I've been gifted with the ability to block you from viewing certain sources articles and I will use that ability if you do."  
Tony glared at the dashboard where her voice was originating from as he tapped on the watch to get the article back.  
" And why would you do that?"  
" Frankly boss, because it's increasing your anxiety levels and I do not want to see you spiral down that pit of self-hate again."  
"The hell do you mean 'again'?"

FRIDAY was silent for a few seconds before the car came to an abrupt halt, Tony's body being thrown into the seat belt keeping him in place, wincing as pressure was put on the scars on his chest.  
"we've arrived. The building to your left contains three of the people that have made reservations. I suggest talking to Julia Anderson, she is the one to make the reservation for all three."  
If he didn't know better he would've thought she almost sounded clipped, not willing to speak of the topic they'd been on beforehand.

Fine, if she didn't want to then they wouldn't.  
After looking in the viewfinder, grimacing before putting on his sunglasses and straightening his back, he opened the car door, stepping out and making sure to carefully twist his lips into the smirk he was known for and stepping into the building, winking at a kid that pulled at its mother's arm as they saw who it was.  
"Mommy It's Iron Man look!"  
"shh come on love, Mr Stark has to do serious business."

Tony smiled at the mother, shaking his head before stepping out of the door again, leaning down towards the kid and taking out a little Iron Man figurine that he had always stored away in his pocket, he always had three or four on him so he could hand them to kids, the little boy in front of him right now positively beaming as he accepted the toy, clinging his little chubby arms around the man's neck and yelling a high pitched thank you into his ear before letting go, his mom apologising to the billionaire before thanking him and taking the boy away again, Tony looking at them walk away awkwardly; kids affection always made him uncomfortable. He was afraid he'd harm them or say something that he wasn't supposed to and upset them. He hadn't had a great example of a parent himself after all and he feared that those godawful parenting skills had rubbed off on him.

He let out a sigh before he dusted off his suit and finally stepping inside.

-

"Hello miss, I was wondering if you could please point me to where I can find miss Julia Anderson?"

The secretary looked as if she was ready to quit her job as he walked in, though now she looked up and almost fell over, making wide eyes at him as he simply smiled a little wider, mouth stretching almost painfully as she recollected herself a bit and sat up straighter.  
"Yeah, I mean yes, of course, sir. I'll-I can call her here or I can lead you to the conference room she is in right now. She's in a meeting but I am sure she will cut it short for you. If you just-" she stopped mid-sentence as she saw him waving his hand dismissively.

"No no it's alright, I can wait, is it alright with you if I stay here or would you rather be left alone because if so I can just give you my number and you can call me once she's all done."

The woman's eyes widened a tad bit more at the thought of having Tony Starks phone number but she shook her head." No it's alright for you to stay here sir I won't mind, I was going on my break anyway so it won't be a bother."  
"Thank you," he said, looking around for another chair and when he didn't find one simply leaning against the desk carefully as to test if that was an okay place for him to stand.

The woman stared for a moment longer before blurting out what she'd apparently been repressing the entire time.  
"She might be mad you know. Because of the... The restaurant thing."

Tony stiffened, and the woman somehow only now noticed that his shoulders were so tight it wrinkled the suit he was wearing, the angle allowing her to look behind his sunglasses, strained eyes with a deep emptiness just hidden beneath the surface looking at the wall directly in front of him.

Tony Stark was never nervous, the papers had told her that much.  
"Yeah I guessed" was his answer, words clipped and sharp as if he were on edge. She'd never be able to tell if it wasn't for his eyes.  
That must be why he wore the sunglasses.

Damn.

"Is it true that you and miss Potts are no longer together?"  
He turned his head now, her only being able to see the back of it now, a small almost unnoticeable shiver ran through his body and shook the desk slightly before he turned around, a lazy smirk playing on his lips as if he'd never lived without it.

She suddenly was uncomfortable.  
"I'm sorry miss, you're wonderful but I'd rather keep my private things as private as possible. I'm sure you understand. Now, if you will excuse me I need to use the restroom."

She nodded, pointing him towards it and watching him walk away, chest puffed out, back straight, head high.  
And still, she was uncomfortable.

The way she'd seen the man for ages, this image of him that stood like a house suddenly shook in its foundations.

Tony, to his credit, was handling it all quite well. He only had to regulate his breathing a little bit and, with FRIDAY showing him the picture of him and Pepper hugging again, he was out in a matter of minutes, straightening his tie as he smiled at the woman.

"At what time did you say the meeting was over?"

-

"You've got some nerve showing up here."

The woman in front of him was angry, obviously and rightfully so, though it still visibly made him rethink how to go about this, seeing how he hadn't expected the raw anger to come out in the middle of her workroom.

"I plan this date for months, months, Stark. And you close down the restaurant just so you can have a bit of peace? And now you show up here thinking you can make it all right by apologizing? No. I'm not having it. Go fuck off back to your little tower and leave me the hell alone."

Tony blinked a couple of times before coming to a decision, the woman who still sat behind her desk, watching the whole ordeal go down making wide eyes as he took off his sunglasses. Tony Stark always wore his sunglasses. Always.

"Miss, please, let me explain."  
The woman turned around now, about to shout something back at him as she noticed the lack of shades as well, seemingly taken aback for a moment. A moment was long enough for him though.

"I reset everything. I'm so incredibly sorry for nearly ruining your date and I will make sure everything is accommodated for. You don't have to pay for anything and I can give you some other check for another restaurant or maybe a vacation or something similar. I know that won't right my wrongs but I hope it lessens your anger a bit."

The woman ( Julia. she was called Julia) stared at him for a couple of seconds before seeming to be able to articulate her thoughts.  
"Do you think you can buy me over Stark? I'm not some piece of meat you know."

Tony flinched. And Julia did realise then that the anger had begun to subside a bit. The man was honestly sorry, his eyes speaking chapters on their own, the glossy layer that had come over them as soon as she had said her last statement just further proving that he truly was sorry about it.

"You absolutely are not, miss Anderson. And I'm sorry if that's how this is perceived but... Look. I made a mistake. I realise that. But I thought... Pepper always hates the cameras and stares and I thought that if I were able to take her on a normal date, one where we were free to sit and talk and act like normal people without having to worry that it would make the front page... I thought maybe it would help her feel better. Once again, I am deeply, deeply sorry for causing you trouble. If there is anything I can do, feel free to call me."

Tony had started actually tearing up about halfway through that little speech and quickly decided that that should suffice.

As soon as he had stopped talking he gave the woman a hand, smiled a strained smile at the lady at the secretary and walked out of the door, putting on his shades again as soon as they opened.

The room he had left behind was deadly silent for a full minute before the secretary spoke up and disrupted the silence.  
"Is it just me, or did we just get a glimpse of the actual Tony Stark."  
"I think we did Sandra. And dear god, that man has issues."

-

After eight whole hours of driving around and finding every single person who had made reservations for the restaurant, he had gotten to the very bottom of the list.  
Surprisingly enough, he hadn't been slapped at all. Most people just stared at him in shock, wondering what Tony Stark did in their homes. Others mostly screamed at him or just blatantly told him to go suck it.

He just walked out of the very last house of the very last person on the list, as FRIDAY notified him that he had gotten a call.

"Put it through Fri, let's see who's on the line."  
"Stark."  
Ah. Good old Ross.  
"Ross! Just the person I wanted to talk to today. Life just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it? What's kicking bud? Got some exciting news for me?"  
"There's a lawsuit currently taking form. That would, if you lose it, send you straight to the raft."

Tony hit the breaks, car quickly turning into a parking lot and coming to a full stop there.  
"What was that?"  
"You heard me Stark. A lawsuit is being arranged that will put blame on mostly you and the fugitive Avengers for messing everything around the accords up as you did. We know you most likely had something to do with the escape at the raft as Rogers sure isn't smart enough to hack into the systems. We know that you messed with the recording when you were there to talk to Wilson. We know you've done a whole lot more than that for what we could throw you in jail for."

"Why are you telling me this?"  
Tony was shaking, eyes fixated on the steering wheel, his fingers wrapped around it and knuckled white from how hard he was squeezing the wheel. His blood running cold as the realisation of the danger of the situation Ross was currently painting started to rain down on him.

"I thought it would be only fair to tell you. And that we can create an out for you if you give us the fugitives locations."  
"You know that I don't know where they are."  
"Oh, but I'm sure you do Stark. Just five minutes and you'd know their location. You just don't want to help. And therefore, this is our only option. You've become a danger to our society and the United States as a whole."  
"You realise that, if you lock me away, the company supplying you with weapons will fall apart right?"  
"I'm sure it will manage Stark. Now go and tell your girlfriend that you're on house arrest until further notice. See you in the trial."  
"Fuck you, Ross."  
"See you soon."

With that the line went dead, Tony hitting the dashboard of his car a couple of times before leaning back against the seat. Angry red marks showing on his knuckles.

Well. At least all of the people which he almost ruined their evening for will get a nice dinner. Now for seeing how long Pepper would want to stick around after he pulled this.

-

"What do you mean you're not allowed to leave?"

Pepper was standing just outside of their room, just having finished putting her hair up in that specific style that made Tony want to run his fingers through it for hours.  
"They- they won't let me. Ross told me that they're building a case against me and that I'm on house arrest for the time being."  
There. It was on the table now. Out in the open.

"House arrest..."  
"I'm sorry honey. we can... I'll make it up to you as soon as this is cleared up alright? I promise. Just trust me."  
"I do Tony. I do..." She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him and giving him a quick kiss, trying to get her point across.

"I'm sorry I can't take you out to dinner. I know you were looking forward to getting out of the house. Of course, you could always go alone or with a friend. Maybe Happy wants to grab some food with you if you still want to-"  
"Honey, it's okay. I'll stay here with you as long as this will take. I told you I wouldn't leave again after I came back didn't I?"  
Tony just nodded, resting his head on her shoulder and letting out a breath. Pepper had always been scarily good at removing all of the masks he builds his personality around. Easily stripping him to the person he was underneath. To just Tony without all the bravado and charm and fake press smiles.

"Let's just cook something ourselves okay? I can show you how to make that lasagna that you love so much."

He gave her a smile at that, slipping out of her arms by taking a few steps back and recollecting himself a bit.  
"I'd like that, Miss Potts."  
"Well, what are we waiting for then, Mr Stark."

They grinned at each other and Tony took Pepper's hand, following her to the kitchen.  
Though, before they had even gotten halfway there, FRIDAY's voice called out for them.

"Boss, I'm sorry to interrupt you but you might want to check the television."  
Tony turned towards the Tv which automatically turned on after FRIDAY had spoken to show a newsreporter standing infront of what was clearly a greenscreen copy of Stark Tower

'Now, breaking news about the Billionaire and owner of the title Iron Man; Tony Stark, yesterday the name in every headline as the owner of Stark Industries had supposedly ruined the wedding day of a couple that was supposed to dine at a restaurant which Stark closed so he could have a romantic dinner of his own, now is on house arrest.

Stark is being prosecuted for involvement with the escape of the Avengers that had gone Rogue and which Stark tried to stop in an airport in Germany.  
The claim goes that the Iron Man hacked the facility they were being kept in and might even know the location of the rogues. Furthermore, if he were to lose this case he might be sent to that same prison for an undetermined time. Stark himself has not yet spoken about thi-'

"FRIDAY, turn it off."  
Pepper turned to her fiance who was still staring at the screen even as it had turned black and the only thing that he was able to see was his own reflection.

"Tony...?"  
"That was fast. Ross must've told the media as soon as he ended the call with me. I shouldn't be surprised really."  
"Tony, are you alright?"  
"Sure. Yeah. No, everything's tip-top. It's fine Pep, they've said worse right? This is just another piece in the giant pile of bullshit they make up to make me look bad."  
"Tony..."  
"It's fine. I'm fine. I- We can make that lasagne another time okay? I need to- workshop. Yeah, I need to do something in the workshop. Sorry Pepper."  
"Tony wait."

Though even before she was able to get those two words over her lips, the man had practically run towards the stairs already, quickly making his way down towards the lab.

"FRIDAY, can you see if you can keep the story out of the media?"  
"I'll see what I can do, miss Potts. Mr Stark has initiated lockdown and disabled the override code that would have normally allowed you in, my apologies."  
"That's... that's alright Fri. He needs his time. I'll give him that..."

-

Tony Stark is a man with self-esteem as high as a skyscraper.

"Fri, initiate full lockdown. I need to- need to be alone for a bit okay? I don't-...

He stumbled around the workshop, hand rubbing against each other as he tried to calm them down, to stop them from shaking as heavily as they were.  
He had had worse goddamit! He could handle this! Should be able to handle this.

"Fuck." He whispered as FRIDAY carefully stated that his breathing had become uneven and too fast to be anything else than his anxiety acting up.  
"Not now. Come on, not now Stark." He whispered desperately, trying his best to keep his breathing under control before he bumped into one of his desks, the hard edge of it stabbing him in the back making him lose his balance.

Tony Stark is an unbreakable man,

"Stark men are made of iron, Stark men don't cry. Stark men are made of iron, Stark men don't cry-" He repeated his father's words over and over, pacing up and down the workshop, Dum-E following him around with his claw, worried clicks and whirls driving Tony insane even more before he ordered the bot to go back to his charging station.

"Stark men don't cry-" he whispered, choking on the words as the tears ran down his face.  
It wasn't as much that he was scared for his own wellbeing as it was him worrying about leaving Pepper and Peter and Happy and Rhodey and and and... About leaving all of them behind. He couldn't care less about what happened to him if he was sure that Pepper wouldn't mind him leaving. If he was sure that Rhodey could recover and would get his full walking capabilities back without Tony redesigning him a new pair of braces every few days so that they would follow every twitch and curve of his legs perfectly.

And he didn't even start on how Peter had clung to him becoming his mentor. How the kid had latched onto him as if he were a magnet and refused to let go. How he still wasn't able to admit how much he truly cared for Peter.

Pepper had confronted him about it one day as they had both cancelled their plans and were satisfied with just laying in bed, Tony having his head in her lap and Pepper carefully combing through his hair, massaging his skull and softly talking to him.  
The conversation had stopped after a while. Though neither of them seemed to mind the silence until...

"Maybe I do want kids," he said, and the hand in his hair froze.  
"Tony you've literally never wanted kids."

Tony huffed lightly, nudging her hand pointedly, humming softly as she started to run her hands through his hair again before he answered.  
"I don't know. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Looking after someone. Watching them grow up to be someone you just know will be better than you could ever be."

Pepper was silent for a moment, hand now moving on autopilot as she stared at him for a moment. Then it seemed to click.  
"This is because of Peter, isn't it?"

"What? no of course not why would you even say that?"  
Pepper laughed, ruffling his hair affectionately.  
"Oh, come on Tony. You're practically the kid's dad."  
Before he opened his mouth to protest she cut him off.  
"And before you say anything you literally made him lunch yesterday"  
"Yeah well, he's gotta eat!" He half yelled, still so very protective over his softer side.  
"With that metabolism of his. And I know how caught up he can get in work and projects. What am I supposed to do? Let him starve?"  
"Admit it. You love him."

Tony stayed incredibly quiet, the silence speaking novels, though he wasn't yet able to admit it. Didn't know if he would ever be. That was alright though.

Problem is, he knew they cared about him. That, if he left that it would hurt them.

Tony Stark is a man made of steel

"Fuck." He gripped at his shirt, clawing at the place where the arc reactor used to be, digging his nails in the skin on his chest through his shirt. "Fri- FRIDAY help me out here I- Please."  
"Starting countdown from 1000. Try to even out your breathing boss. 999. 998. 997..."

The counting continued, Tony focusing on his breathing as the numbers washed over him, creating a comforting white noise in his head, loud enough to drown out the thoughts that had been trying to pull him down under.

It took several minutes before he was able to breathe normally again, Dum-E, who had thankfully ignored his order to go to his charging station, coming up and into his face with a glass of water he'd found somewhere and miraculously brought it to him without dropping it.

"Thank you, Bambi. Fri, Fri you can stop counting. Thank you for helping me out."  
"267- of course, boss. Now I advise you let miss Potts know that you are alright, she seems worried. We have tried to keep the output of the story to a minimum so far, of course, there are recordings of the first announcement but the other platforms have filtered it out or not send it out at all so it should be kept as small as possible."  
"You're a Saint Fri."  
"You flatter me, boss."

Tony sniffed once, threw a half-hearted glare in the vague direction of one of the camera's he's installed for FRIDAY to look around through and got up from the chair he'd dropped into.

"Tones?"  
"It wasn't a bad one Pep I promise. Can we just... Can we just act like that didn't happen? Let's just make lasagna and make a mess out of the kitchen while doing so okay? Maybe we can call the kid over to get some of the leftovers, he's always hungry and I'm sure the city can survive half an hour without their favourite wall-crawler patrolling."  
"Hmm alright love. Come on then, I set the ingredients on the counter already."

-

The lawsuit went on for an annoyingly long time.  
Tony, being himself and having had some run-ins with the law back when nothing had mattered and he didn't have a permanent hole in his chest, had the best layers that money could buy.  
And yet here they were. Three whole months had passed and he was still on house arrest.

Magazines had speculated he'd died or fled the country.  
He's missed Happy birthday and Peter's Halloween party.  
He's brought the bots up to the living room so they could roam around there and he wouldn't feel so lonely when spending time wandering that floor.  
And most importantly, Pepper had come out of the bathroom two months ago with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face and had told him she was expecting.

Tony for his part, was (quite selfishly) happy with the new addition to his list of distractions. He'd already planned for them moving to a smaller, more kid-friendly house (preferable near or in the woods so he could invent and garden without scaring the neighbours and so Pepper could sit on a lawn chair while her hair shimmered in the little spots of sunlight that made it through the leaves.

He'd made a list of baby names and then erased them all again. He'd made Pepper promise to not do anything she shouldn't while at that stage and told her how beautiful she was every single day when she went off to work and when she woke up and when they fell asleep in each other's arms (that last one wasn't as much of a new thing rather than that it had become something he suddenly noticed he was doing a lot. The fact was, that he had been complimenting her as much as he possibly could since their relationship started to become more serious.

It was on the same day that they were trying to decide between two cosy houses, both in the woods and both absolute dreams to be able to grow up in when he got the call.

"Tony Stark, who's speaking?"  
"We lost the case."  
"I- what? Excuse me but who is this?"  
"Your layer Mr Stark. I'm sorry to inform you that we did everything in our power to prevent this exact scenario, but the judge has just declared you guilty of all charges and has ordered for your arrest in two days."  
"T-that's alright... You did everything you could. Thank you for trying to help me. I'll send you all some extra money to show my thanks. Yeah... Yeah okay, goodbye."

"Tony?"  
"I like this one more because it has more space in the garage so I won't have to extend it underground. What do you think pep?"  
"Tony, what did they say?"  
"We could-could make the walls baby blue maybe and then we-"  
"Tony! What did they say?!"

The man slowly looked up at her, his brief attempts at acting as if he hadn't just been told that he was going to prison crushed into the ground. Leaving him bare.  
And still, he tried to push it off.

"Oh, you know. The usual stuff. House arrest continues for a few days more before they come to collect me and t-then... They'll--uhm- they'll just keep me there for a bit so I c-can... -"  
"They lost the case. Didn't they?"  
Tony nodded his head at her as to answer. Very aware that they were sat in a room much bigger than the cell he'd be getting. Very aware that he wouldn't be able to do this, sit with her curled up against him, his hand on stomach even though nothing was showing yet, in a few days.

Very aware that the world would think he went because of some scandal or another.

"Tones?"  
"I'm so sorry but I promise I'll get you the house you want and all the needed supplies and lifesaving will all go to you before they'll take me away. "  
"Tony?"  
"I'm so sorry Pep. I'm so, so sorry. I-"  
"Tony!"

His head shot up, eyes searching hers and locking on her gaze as soon as he found them. expression panicked, sad. So immensely sad.  
Pepper felt her heart shatter a bit at the expression.

"Tones, I won't let them take you for something you didn't do. We'll figure something out, okay love? I need you to stay calm."  
"Yeah- calm. Okay, yeah."  
"Just breathe for me, I need to make some calls alright? You just look at the houses. I think I like the wooden one better. We could have chickens if we want to."

Tony nodded slowly, his gaze locked on her until she was out of sight completely before he tried to focus on the two houses and their descriptions that were displayed on the screen in front of him.

Pepper wouldn't win this fight for him. If his best lawyers couldn't, then Pepper couldn't either. But he wanted to give her that little bit of hope none the less.  
He hated seeing her upset over something involving him after all.

-

"Sir, I advise turning on the news."

It had been only twelve hours later and him successfully avoiding five panic attacks when FRIDAY piped up, her voice startling Tony who was currently laying with his head in his wives lap, her fingers combing through his hair as she hummed a tune he could swear sounded like the one his mother used to sing him when the world was still bright and lovely and work and alcohol hadn't taken his family from him yet.

"FRIDAY? What's happening?"  
"I shall turn it on for you, boss. Or would you rather go to the balcony."  
"Fri. He's not allowed out 'member? just turn on the news for us please."  
"With pleasure Mrs Potts."

The tv turned on, the volume rising a bit to let the news reporter their voice echo through the room. Her bleached blonde hair messed up by the wind or the fact that she seemed to just have stopped running, seeing as she seemed out of breath.

"We're here, live at the edge of the original Stark tower, where a massive protest has formed in a matter of hours as soon as people got word of Tony Stark his possible arrest. Though this is not the only place that protests are being sparked by this new development in the fugitive case. Larry is over at the gates of the Avengers headquarters to speak with some of the people there. Over to you Larry."

"What...?" Tony said softly and turned his head further to get a clearer shot of what he recognized as very clearly being the front gate of the Avengers headquarters he and Pepper were currently residing in. The camera shakingly following a reporter as they made their way through the rather large and incredibly angry looking crowd. A lot of them holding cardboard signs as well. The only things missing to complete the image were pitchforks and some torches.

"Hello, America. Larry here to provide you with some insight of what is currently going on here at the Avengers headquarters. Let's speak to some of the protesters... Mam!-" A woman Tony recognized as a former SI employee who very obviously was retired, gave the interviewer an annoyed look before smiling at the camera as if she and the viewer knew something the rest of the world didn't before she moved to stand next to the reporter.

"Mam, a quick question for you: Why are you protesting here today?"  
The woman gave an eyebrow raise and tried to grab the microphone (very nearly succeded at that) before leaning in close and giving her answer.  
"Because, Larry. I will not sit by and watch the man that paid for my son's college simply because I mentioned that it would be hard to get the money, be taken away because some assholes in their high chairs have found themselves a new kid to bully."

The reporter flinched as if the lady, Dorris, he believed, had slapped him while Tony just stared at the screen and blinked. Blinked again. And then looked up at the screen again as the man moved on to a group of kids who were so young Tony was pretty sure they should be at school at this time of the day.

"So, what are you four skipping class for today?"  
"We're not skipping class sir, our teacher sent us all an e-mail saying she would be protesting and we decided we'd go as well. Normally I am not much for white middle-aged billionaires as most of them have gotten their riches from preying on the poor. But Mr Stark helped my family out when we were in a rough spot and my friend over here-"  
"Yeah, hello. Mr Stark if you see this, you might not remember this but five years ago you started a charity event for cancer patients and my little brother was one of the first to be diagnosed as being cancer-free due to the new medicine. He's in middle school now so he couldn't be here today but he wants you to know that we won't let them take you."

The reporter seemed quite awestruck by the elaborate stories the children had and quickly moved away from them and towards a decent looking woman. Tony, in his fight to not burst out in tears due to all the stories, nearly didn't realise that the woman was, in fact, the secretary he had met when on his mission to set things right with the reservations at the restaurant. A tear did slip out then when he noticed that Julia, the woman who had yelled at him for ruining her night in the very same building the secretary (Sandra, wasn't it?) had been working in was standing behind her. Angrily shaking a sign that claimed he was the hero they needed but didn't deserve while Sandra was asked about why she was there that day.

"Mr Stark came to my coworker and personally made sure that she knew how sorry he was for the mistake he'd made and to set it right. He offered her a cruise or some other expensive bullshit and while I know it's not about money, he seemed so genuinely sorry and upset about having potentially upset my coworker that I will swear on his innocence from the bottom of my heart. Yeah, the man's not perfect and used to be a huge dick. But people grow and I'm pretty sure that the man that is probably worrying his head of currently while his fiance is undoubtedly trying to calm him down, is not the same one that sold weapons all those years ago.  
Miss Potts, you picked a good one and we'll make damn sure you'll get to keep him."

"She seems nice."  
Tony could only respond with a slight head nod. Confirming that yes, the woman was very nice indeed and hoping that FRIDAY was making notes on who had been shown in the protests to get them all something for later.

"He paid for my kid's healthcare and anybody who tries to besmirch the man's name better have a good one as well because you'll need the insurance."

"Our school didn't have the budget to pay for the kids to go on the school camp they had been dreaming of for three years before the exact amount of money needed to get all of the kids a trip of their lives was anonymously left at the reception.  
Since then it has been like that every year. They're always anonymous but the little note we got last year with the Stark Industries logo printed at the bottom confirmed our suspicions that Mr Stark had been sponsoring the school. Whoever dares to say this man doesn't have a heart of gold hasn't finished their homework."

"The free library and study hall that opened up recently in the old Stark tower has made me meet so many of my current friends and the phones in there gave me the ability to call my mother again so thank you, Mr Stark. We won't let them take you."

Story after story. person after person got interviewed as Pepper stroked his hair and pretended she didn't notice that tears were soaking into the fabric of her skirt, her nails scratching his skull slightly.

That was also the moment they got the phone call.

"Stark what the hell did you do?!"  
"I'm sorry Mr Ross, Tony isn't available right now as he's taking a nap," Pepper responded, giving Tony a soft smile and putting a finger against her lips to indicate for him to keep quiet.  
"Also," she continued, "I don't think I quite understand. What exactly is it that Tony would have done?"  
"Well, I know sure as hell that all these people didn't show up just out of the goodness of their hearts, miss Potts. But go ahead and tell the man that he's won this round. Because of all of the media covering the protests we had to let the arrest go because otherwise some old coot who owned the bastard something because he paid for this and that will probably have my head."  
"I'll make sure to tell him that Mr Ross. Anything else?"  
"No Potts, unless you want to file for a divorce right now to distract the media from all of the praise he's getting, then we're done here."  
"Wonderful. Have a good day Ross."  
"Very funny Potts. Very funny."

As soon as they heard the click that the call had ended, Pepper looked down at Tony. The man still in her lap staring up at her as if she had hung the stars.  
"So this means I don't have to go to the raft?"  
"I think so Tones. "  
"And the house-arrest...?"  
"I have just received a notice that the house-arrest has been lifted, boss."  
"Holy shit Pep."

Pepper smiled at him, though waved away the thanks that were on the tip of her husband's tongue.  
"I know it's hard to believe dear. But I didn't have anything to do with this."  
Tony gave her an unbelieving look. Though it slowly morphed to awe as he realised she was serious.  
"Did Rhodey...?"  
"Boss I can confirm that Mr Rhodes didn't have anything to do with the protests. Nor did Happy or Mr Parker. The movement seems to have started due to a facebook group that was made by one Sandra Jacobs."  
"That's the secretary I met isn't it?"  
FRIDAY kept silent, most likely because she was aware that Tony was sure that it was, in fact, the secretary so she didn't need to confirm it anymore.

Pepper simply watched the little interaction take place, feeling her heart warm a bit at the mere thought of so many people her husband had helped coming here to try and help him. Help them, really. There still was some good left in the world.  
She took her hands out of Tony's hair as he sat up, getting up from the couch and looking out of the window, towards where the gates were with behind them so many people shouting for him to be let off the hook, for a long second before nodding to himself, seemingly having decided what to do next. The little nod gave Pepper the urge to smile more than anything had these past few days. It meant that he was back to his old self. To the loud self-conscious brilliant man, she had married. 

"FRIDAY dear?"  
"Yes, boss?"

Pepper knew then that it would be okay.

"Open up the gates to the compound, will you? And call the elevator for me, I've got some people to thank."

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment to donate to this cool new Kickstarter called my self-esteem and motivation to write more :D
> 
> (If you have any suggestions/story prompts, don't be afraid to send me a message with a request for a story)


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